Air Quality and Your Health Lesson 3-5
Lesson Plan
2 hours 40 minutesGrades3, 4, 5Health
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Written by Sarah Kroening
About this lesson
In this lesson, students learn about air pollution and how it is monitored so they can take action to stay healthy and spread awareness.
Inquire: Students discuss outdoor air pollution and how it affects their health.
Investigate: Students learn about air quality through videos and station work that explore various air quality tools and resources.
Inspire: Students discuss ways they can share air quality awareness at school, at home, and in their community.
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Everything you need to teach it
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Suggestions
- Teacher may choose to split this lesson into 3 days: Day 1: Inquire, whole group investigation, explain 2 stations, Day 2: All stations, Day 3: All stations and inspire.
- Teacher may choose to have students go to 1-2 stations and share out work with the class to summarize the information learned.
- This lesson can be taught during a unit on environmental health to understand how to stay active, or it can be used as an Earth Day activity.
- This lesson can help students learn to be self aware of physical health, notice respiratory triggers, and understand what they can do to keep themselves healthy.
- This lesson highlights the importance of understanding the impact air quality can have on a persons’ health. The lesson empowers students to make behavioral changes that support their respiratory well-being and take environmental actions to support better air quality for all.
- Student work can be collected to post around the school.
- Teacher can submit excellent student work to be highlighted on Love My Air Wisconsin media outlets (Alliances’ Facebook page, Instagram, LinkedIn, X , and/or webpage) by emailing the LMA WI staff using the email address listed on the webpage.
Prerequisites
- This lesson is an introduction to air quality monitoring and health. Teacher can review air quality information by visiting the Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin's Webpage.
- Watch a video on how to use the PurpleAir Real-Time map for directions on how to access, use appropriate layers, and understand the air sensor data.
- AQI stands for Air Quality Index. Review your air quality sensor information then locate the number on the AQI. The color provides a visual for the quality of the air, associated health risks, and recommended action steps.
- If your school does not have an air quality sensor, you can borrow one from the EPA.
- Students should have a basic understanding of air and what it means to be active outside.
- A child’s health plan or asthma action plan should always be referred to for personalized guidance per their provider.
Differentiation
- Each station has a SD- scaffold down and SU - scaffold up suggestion.
- CCSS ELA Essential Elements are listed alongside the English Language Arts standards to provide guidance for inclusion of all students in this lesson.
- Print the Emotions Board image from the Station Guide to allow students to point to emotions or cut out pictures for use as manipulatives.
- Teacher can print or virtually provide a copy of the book, Why Is Coco Orange? to be read individually or in small groups. It can be printed and cut up for manipulatives.
- Differentiated worksheets are provided in the Student Document and Station Guide.
- Students can work independently or in pairs or small groups to write their responses.
- Students can be paired as advanced/struggling learners. Example: One student scribes per an IEP, and they verbally explain the information to each other.
- Extensions:
- Download the Air Quality Index (AQI) Activity Guide to use in the classroom.
- The No Idling Campaign Lesson is an in-depth project that supports students in taking actionable steps to impact air quality.
- Implement an EPA Flag program to continue monitoring outdoor air quality and build awareness of outdoor air quality and action steps in your community.
- Participate in the Cool Choices in Green and Healthy School Wisconsin Card Game.
- Want to go more in-depth? Check out these lessons:
From the scientist review
Particulates, air quality, and their detrimental effects on human and environmental health are all covered in this lesson. In addition to discussing methods for maintaining clean air in homes, communities, and schools, it also looks at methods students can use to monitor the quality of the outside air. Our science credibility review of the lesson was conducted, and it passed.
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About the teacher writer
Sarah Kroening
Sarah serves as a program manager for the environmental health initiative at Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin, focusing on asthma health management and enhancing air quality monitoring. In this role, she works with schools and district staff to strengthen knowledge of air quality risk factors within neighborhoods and provides tools to use as proactive measures to protect children's health. Prior to joining the Alliance, Sarah was an educational specialist with Children’s Wisconsin and a special education teacher. When Sarah is not in the classroom, she enjoys traveling and hiking.
